The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NPA

  • Ebola: Customs sensitises over 3,000 at border

    • NPA issues guidelines for port users on virus

    The Comptroller-General,  Nigeria Customs Service  (NCS), Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi, has sensitised over 3,000 persons at Seme border on the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). He urged them to take precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the disease.

    Customs has also limited the movement of commercial motorcyclists at the border from 6.00am to 10.00pm as part of its pro-active measures.

    Speaking at the border security meeting at Seme, Abdullahi, represented by the Area Controller, Willy Egbudin, said though the borders remained open, the Customs and other security agents, were partnering to prevent the desease from spreading further through Seme.

    He urged the Port Health Services to enlighten the people on the symptoms and effect of the contagious disease and how to prevent its spread.

    Many Customs personnel, Port Health Services, Army, Police and Immigration officials attended the event.

    The Customs boss, specifically, told the people to stop eating bush meat and bats to avoid contracting the disease.

    He urged them to maintain a high standard of personal and environmental hygiene, asking them to give information to security agents on suspicious movements and happenings in their areas.

    “The borders are not closed but we are here to sensitise the people on what to do, what to avoid and to stress the need to maintain personal hygiene because of Ebola.

    “Before the outbreak of the Ebola virus, we have been talking about security issues and that has to do with restricting okada movement because in our security meeting, we discovered that some contrabands coming into the country were being carried out through the use of motor cycles.

    He said the service had been receiving reports of suspicious travellers being dispossessed of their valuables by some unscrupulous commercial motorcyclists/tricyclists.

    He said some motorcyclists had also been dispossessed of their motorcycles by criminals who pose as passengers.

    Sadly, some motorcyclists did not live to tell their stories as they were murdered by some presumed normal passengers, he said, adding that investigation has also shown that these nefarious acts and other cross-border crimes were mostly committed in the late hours of the night.

    “In view of the foregoing, the joint border security meeting in partnership with the association of commercial motorcyclists and tricycles, has decided to flag off this pro-active security measure towards national security at Seme border.

    “On this note, operational activities of the two associations at Seme border and its environs will start from 6.00am and end before 10.00pm everyday, for security reasons,” warning that offenders will be arrested and prosecuted.

    Customs and other security operatives around the border, he said, have no option than to take security of the nation serious with the prevailing health and national security challenges.

    “At a time like this, we are all working in synergy to prevent the deadly Ebola virus disease from entering the country through any of our borders.

    “As a nation, we are passing through serious health and security challenges in our development that requires the collective efforts of all citizens,” Abdullahi said.

    Also, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has issued guidelines to its employees and port users on the risks posed by Ebola.

    NPA’s Managing Director, Mallam Habib Abdullahi has, therefore, urged port operators, especially first-line contact officers, against negligence when dealing with foreigners and vulnerable groups, adding that the Nigerian ports are gateways and that they could be vulnerable.

    “We have begun enlightenment campaign at all ports and terminals about the origin, symptoms and mode of transmission of the virus. They are also being taught how to identify people at high risk, diagnose, contain and prevent infection.

    “The medical department of the NPA has equally issued guidelines to all its personnel on protection and prevention measures to be adopted in the discharge of their duties.

    “These precautionary measures to be instilled in the workplace environment and in the port terminals will be carried out in collaboration with the Health, Safety and Environment Division of the authority,” Abdullahi said.

    The NPA boss said the move was in line with the information from the World Health Organisation (WHO). He expressed sympathy to those who had contracted the virus in the course of duties, noting that the NPA would ensure that port facilities were Ebola virus-free.

     

  • Govt policy affects NPA operations

    The revenue accruing to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has dropped in recent times based on the policies of the Federal Government on cement, rice and other items, The Nation has learnt.

    Findings revealed that the restriction placed by the government on these items and others reduced the revenue base of NPA last year.

    The 2013 ports’performance report of the agency also indicated that market forces were part of factors that limited the activities of the NPA last year.

    A senior official of NPA who does not want his name in print said the research conducted by the agency revealed that each port is being shaped by the market forces dictated by the commodity demand and by the particular port user

    Also, the Assistant General Manager (AGM), Public Affairs, Musa Iliya confirmed that the decline experienced in some products can be linked to general economic factor.

    In dry bulk cargo, he said, there was ban on the importation of cement.

    Iliya also said the increase in rice tariff has reduced the importation   through Nigerian ports, but by smuggling through the land borders.

    Findings revealed that a cargo throughput, excluding crude oil terminals of 76,886,997 million metric tonnes was handled by the ports last year, reflecting a marginal increase of 0.042.6 per cent over the 2012 figure of 76,855,754 metric tonnes.

    A breakdown of the figure showed that container traffic amounted to 1,010,836 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), reflecting a growth of 15.2 per cent over the 877,737 TEUs posted in 2012.

    Also, a total of 291,824 units of vehicles were handled in the period under review, showing an increase of 8.9 per cent over the 268,026 units recorded in 2012.

    Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) shipment handled in the period amounted to 19,341,663 metric tons, a drop of 12.7 per cent from the 22,146,908 mt posted in 2012.

    On the hand, refined petroleum shipment handled was in 2013 was 19,416,043mt, showing an increase of 9.5 per cent over the 17,730,727 mt recorded in the previous year.

    Dry bulk cargo handled at the ports last year was 9,537,447 metric tonnes. There was a decline of 6.5 per cent from the 10,205,339 metric tonnes posted the previous year, even as general cargo handled was 11,964,978 metric tonnes, indicating a 5.8 per cent drop from the 12,702,826 metric tonnes recorded in 2012.

    Last year, investigation revealed that a total of 5,185 oceans-going vessels with a total gross registered tonnage (GRT) of 131,674,337 gross tonnes called at the ports.

    The Lagos Port Complex (LPC) also recorded 34,466,291GRT, reflecting an increase of 9.4 per cent over the 31,513,987 GRT posted in 2012, even as  a total of 1,498 vessels were handled at same facility in 2013.

    While 1,725 ocean-going vessels were handled at the Tin Can Island Port Complex (TCIP) last year, the statement added that the port recorded 42,758,161 GRT, which is 23.2 per cent increased over the 34,703,547 GRT of 2012.

  • Navy, NPA, others unveil plan to free Apapa road

    Navy, NPA, others unveil plan to free Apapa road

    STAKEHOLDERS  have suggested the way out of the perennial gridlock on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway.

    They called for a routing system for containerised and petrol tankers and the optimal utilisation of the holding bay in  Apapa Ports to address the problem.

    They took the decision at an enlarged meeting held in the boardroom of NNS Beecrooft at the Navy Yard in Apapa, Lagos.

    At the end of five-hour session, the chairman and convener of the meeting, NNS Beecrooft Commander, Commodore Ovenseri Emmanuel Uwadiae said light is at the end of the tunnel, if decisions are enforced.

    According to him, the stakeholders are determined to complement the efforts of Julius Berger Plc, which the Federal Controller of Works confirmed, has resumed work on the Apapa Road.

    Uwadiae, who describe the meeting as successful and exhaustive, said the gridlock  was unacceptable given the centrality of the area to the economy and home to the busiest port in the country.

    He said representatives of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), the Federal Controller of Works, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Road Transport Employers Association (RTEAN), National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), the Police, and the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), among others, agreed that freeing the area would be good for business.

    He said while LASTMA has been charged with ensuring an effective routing system, NPA will handle the optimisation of the holding bay at the ports which seem to be operating below capacity.

    Other decisions reached, he said, were  the need for the NPA to direct concessionaires at the ports to increase their capacities to prevent   congestion, and the allocation of a column of the road for any truck intending to load or offload at the ports and the tank farms. Uwadiae added that any truck found outside the approved column would be towed.

    The fifth resolution was for tanker and truck unions to stop the collection dues at the ports’ general areas, which, according to Uwadiae, have been discovered to be a major cause of delays and gridlock.

    Uwadiae said the stakeholders were happy to get on with their respective assignments which he assured would lead to the reduction in travel time within Apapa. He said the meeting, a continuous exercise, would hold again  in a  fortnight to access the extent of compliance by all concerned.

    Responding on behalf of other stakeholders, LASTMA’s General Manager Mr. Babatunde Edu said while the stakeholders would adhere strictly to the decisions reached at the meeting, LATMA would continue to do all within its powers to ensure the free flow of  traffic in and around Apapa and the tank farms.

    “We would work more on the areas discovered at this meeting for the purpose of ensuring that things work as planned. Traffic is a work in progress and we are determined to ensure a reduction in travel time from what presently obtains. We are happy that Julius Berger has expressed its readiness to come and repair the road, we shall work with them to manage the traffic along with their scheduled plan of action. Once this is done, we will not have any gridlock,” Edu said.

  • NPA unveils plan to rehabilitate Oshodi-Apapa Express road

    Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Managing Director Mallam Habib Abdullahi has expressed concern over the gridlock at the Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports in Lagos.

    Abdullahi attributed the gridlock to the bad access roads, adding that they have been worsened by the rains and the reconstruction of the Apapa–Oshodi Expressway.

    He called for collaboration among stakeholders to address the problem. Abdullahi said NPA plans to meet stakeholders to seek a way forward with.

    The agency, he said, would cooperate and work with relevant government agencies and stakeholders to find a lasting solution to the perennial traffic jam.

    He praised the Federal Ministry of Works for the re-construction of the road and Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola for finding a solution to the problem.

    Abdullahi appealed to the construction firms to expedite work on the road, adding that the NPA has also embarked on remedial work on the common user roads to alleviate the problem.

    He said NPA was partnering with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on its Train for Trade Port Training Programme so that it can continue to keep abreast of developments in ports’ operation.

    Speaking when a delegation of the UN’s agency visited him in Lagos, he said training was important to NPA, adding that because of the competition from other ports in the West Africa sub-region, there was the need for operators in the industry to acquire necessary skills that will facilitate efficient and smooth operations.

    Abdullahi said NPA’s Human Resources Division would liaise with the UNCTAD team to determine areas of needs and how best both parties could benefit from the collaboration.

    The leader of the UNCTAD delegation, Mark Assaf, said the Train for Trade Port Training Programme, which is run in conjunction with Irish Aid of the Irish Government, operates through four language-based networks English, French, Portuguese and Spanish in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America.

    Assaf said the programme was part of UNCTAD’s Corporate Social Responsibility to developing countries and a way of showing commitment to ports’ operations globally.

    Urging the NPA to assist in mobilising stakeholders to key into it, he said the programme has been of immense benefit to participating countries.

    The UNCTAD delegation also met with the management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Shippers Council, Nigeria Customs Service, terminal operators, clearing agents and visited Apapa and Tin Can Island ports.

  • NPA to become Africa’s leading port, says MD

    The Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA) may become the leading port in West and Central Africa, following the berthing of the largest vessel in Lagos, its Managing Director, Mallam Habib Abdullahi, has said.

    Abdullahi, who said a roadmap to actualise urged the workers to ensure that NPA obtained that status by providing a safe, secure and customer friendly environment.

    Speaking at the opening of a retreat to fashion out a five-year strategic development plan for the NPA, Abdullahi urged the staff to make the ports attractive for business.

    He advised top officials to embrace new technology and innovation so as to realised NPA’s vision.

    NPA’s Executive Director, Finance and Administration,Olumide Oduntan, told the Executive Directors, General Managers, Assistant General Managers and Port Managers to follow the direction outlined in the firm’s vision and mission.

    After viewing a video clip on the Port of Singapore, Oduntan said: “Nothing happens by chance. Somebody or group of people dreamt about what is happening now in Singapore and other major ports of the world some years ago and that is why we are here to make sure we become the best in Africa.”

    Participants at the event urged the workers to be efficient, adding that the firm should look into its reward system, work environment, motivation, attitudinal change, succession plans, political interference, multiplicity of agencies at the ports, monitoring and performance evaluation, among others.

    Meanwhile, the NPA boss has called for mutual economic cooperation between NPA and the Port of Hong Kong, especially in the area of training and manpower development.

    Abdullahi made the call in Lagos while receiving the International President of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), Dr. Dorothy Chan in Lagos.

    He said NPA has operated the landlord model of port operation since 2006 after port terminals were concessioned to private operators.

    Abdullahi said the agency would be willing to avail its experiences to other ports that may wish to operate the system, adding that NPA has benefited from the programmes of CILT and other organisations like the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA), International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH), among others.

    While acknowledging the support of the International President for the Nigerian chapter, he assured Chan that NPA would continue to support CILT in the country.

    The first female president of the 95- year-old institute said she was aware of the enormous contributions NPA and appealed to Abdullahi to assist CILT Nigeria for its bill before the National Assembly.

  • Lagos, Onne ports to host big vessels

    • 4,500Teu vessel for Onne tomorrow

    The Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA) has dredged the Lagos and Onne ports to accommodate big vessels, The Nation has learnt.

    The ports were dredged to between 13.5 and 14.3-metre depth from the former seven to nine-metre depth before the joint venture contract for their dredging was entered into by NPA and the dredging firms.

    The dredging may have started yielding results.

    Sources close to NPA told The Nation that a container vessel, West African Maximum (WAFMAX) with a capacity of 4,500 twenty-foot equivalent unit (Teu) will call at Onne Port tomorrow.

    The ship is 37.4 metres wide and 249 metres long. It is the largest vessel that can be be accomodated at West Africa’s major container ports.

    The vessel is the largest ship to visit the Eastern port.

    A source said the coming of WEFMAX to Onne shows the Bonny Channel has been dredged to accommodate big vessels.

    The source also said NPA had removed all shipwrecks on the Lagos and Bonny channels to boost operations.

    A dredging firm, Lagos Channel Management Limited (LCM), it was learnt, has a venture agreement with the NPA, in which the latter is the parent company with 60 per cent stake.

    LCM is responsible for the dredging and removal of certain shipwrecks along the Fairway Buoys. It also operates a marine operation centre where data is processed for port operations.

    Fairway Buoy covers the region from the entry point of the Atlantic Ocean into the Lagos Ports, Tin Can Port and Badagry.

    NPA’s Managing Director Mallam Habib Abdullahi confirmed that the WAFMAX vessel would call at Onne port tomorrow.

    “Not only are our navigational channels now safe and navigable, but they have also started attracting bigger vessels who thereto do not call on our shore.

    “It is in fulfillment of its commitment to Nigerian customers that Maersk line, operated by AP Moller Terminal (APMT), is bringing its WAFMAX vessel to call at Onne port on May 14 (tomorrow).

    “Already, all preparations are on top gear to receive the vessel and to ensure that its calling at Onne is safetly handled,” he said.

    Abdullahi said the benefits derivable from the economies of scale in the deployment of the vessels to the country is a prelude to the attainment of hub port status as enunciated in the transformation agenda of President Godluck Jonathan.

  • NPA relocates 2,279 overtime cargoes to decongest port

    NPA relocates 2,279 overtime cargoes to decongest port

    • Customs may auction goods soon

    To decongest Apapa Port, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has moved 2,279 20-foot Equivalent Unit (TEU) overtime containers from there to the Ikorodu Lighter Terminal.
    The containers had been clogging the port, hindering the clearing of incoming cargoes.
    NPA Assistant General Manager, Public Affairs Musa Illiya said the containers were moved between February and last month.

    Illiya said they were moved to avoid congestion at the ports.

    Overtime containers are those that have stayed for months at the ports.

    “Normally, the port is supposed to be a transit point. It is not supposed to be a storage facility. There should be room for new cargoes to come in,” Illiya said.

    The movement of the containers was done with the Customs, which had gazetted them, he said, adding that the owners could visit the Customs to claim the containers.

    The containers may be auctioned, unless the importers clear them within two weeks.
    In November 13, 2009, the Customs Comptroller-General issued a circular on overtime cargo clearance.

    The document signed by M. Mohammed, Assistant Comptroller-General, Headquarters, was addressed to all Deputy Comptrollers-General (DCGs), all Assistant Comptrollers-General (ACGs)/Zonal Coordinators, Customs Area Controllers (CACs), all Comptrollers (Federal Operation Units – FOUs) and all Head of Units.

    To avoid congestion, Customs has directed that the ageold procedure for clearance or auctioning of overtime cargo which is in accordance with the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) Cap 84 LFN (Laws of Federation of Nigeria) 2004, and Customs and Excise Notice No.11 (6) of 1st April, 1959, would be applied.
    Findings revealed that all gazetted goods not cleared by importers within 30 day after the containers have been gazetted would be forfeited to the Federal Government and the Controller General of Customs will, in line with extant laws, for the disposal of the cargoes.

    Sources said the length of days it takes an importer to clear and take delivery of consignments in Nigerian ports has put businesses and multi-million dollar investments in the ports at risk of being crippled by the looming port congestion before the containers were moved to Ikorodu.

    Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANCLA), the Nigerian Association of Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) and other stakeholders have expressed concern over the continuous gridlock on the Oshodi-Apapa and Ijora-Apapa Express roads, urging that the government should find a solution to the problem that is crippling their businesses.

    They lamented that some of their members have been forced to close shop due to the traffic challenge in and out of the Lagos ports.

    The Chairman, Export Group of NACCIMA, Mr Oluyenuwo Olabisi, said the congestion and long queue of vehicles are creating problems for the export group because their containers are sometimes turned back, while most of the time they miss their ships, leading to huge losses for their members.

    Olabisi also called on the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to address the perennial delays suffered by exporters, saying priority should be given to exporters, as against the return of empty containers that go into the ports.
    Shittu also said the bad state of ports’ access roads is affecting businesses, adding that the bad roads are the cause of major challenges experienced by stakeholders.

    He called for the revitalisation of the rail tracks within the ports to surmount the challenges of haulage businesses and ensure prompt movement of cargoes in and out of the ports.

    The ANCLA chief lamented that some of the concessionaires do not have enough capacity for containers, saying the situation is impacting negatively on containers movement.

  • Senate seeks Ogun’s support on power reform

    Senate seeks Ogun’s support on power reform

    The Senate Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation has solicited the support and cooperation of the Ogun State government to stop revenue leakages at the Federal Government-owned Olorunsogo Power plant located in the state.

    Chairman of the Committee Senator Gbenga Obadara made the appeal when the committee members visited Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

    Obadara, who represents Ogun Central, said revenue leakages and corruption were the major factors responsible for the failure in the power sector, adding that it would take the commitment of all stakeholders to reverse the trend.

    He said the committee was visiting federal parastatals across the country to block revenue leakages and ensure maximum productivity and efficiency.

    Obadara expressed optimism that if effectively reformed, the unbundling of the power sector would be worthwhile and successful, adding: “This visit gives us the opportunity to meet with you and the management of the Olorunsogo Power Plant. Yesterday, we visited the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) to charge them to increase revenue drive at the ports because we know they are capable of raking in more revenue for the nation than they are doing.

    “The aim of the committee is to tackle the generation of peanuts by government parastatals, despite their potentials to do more. If only the nation can generate 50 per cent of the power needed, the country would be better for it. We believe we can count on you as to achieve good result.”

    Amosun said it was worrisome that after many years of independence, Nigeria is still struggling to have uninterrupted power supply while other less-endowed countries have stable supply.

    He said constant power supply was key to the survival of the country’s manufacturing sector and the revamping of moribund companies.

    Describing the privatisation of the power sector as “a step in the right direction”, Amosun said the initiative must be pursued tenaciously to achieve the desired result.

  • Senate Committee wants fixed tariff for terminal operators

    The Senate Committee on Privatisation has directed the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to introduce fixed tariff for terminal operators at the nation’s ports.

    The Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Olugbenga Obadara, said this on Monday during a visit to NPA headquarters in Lagos.

    He said a fixed tariff regime would increase the revenue profile of the organisation.

    “The committee wants to know what is being generated either quarterly or half yearly because the space at the ports belongs to the Federal Government.

    “The committee is inspecting not only the ports, but also all the government agencies so that there will be a progression in revenue and not a drop,’’ Obadara said.

    According to him, the visit afforded them the opportunity of listening to the complaints of some of the terminal operators including Josepdam Service Limited and Five Star Logistics operating at Tin Can Island Port.

    “The terminal operators complained of the delay in completing port rehabilitation, the access road which has affected quick delivery of cargoes and low profit margin.

    “The committee spent more than 25 minutes at Tin Can Island Port and surprisingly, the terminal operators were unable to provide receipts of the monthly remittances to NPA.

    “We need money to finance NPA’s budget and if the operators cannot tell us where the money is, NPA should be able to tell us,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted Obadara as saying during the visit.

    In his response, the Managing Director of NPA, Malam Habib Abdulahi, told the committee that the mandate of NPA had changed since the port concession regime came into being some years ago.

    Abdulahi urged the Lagos State Government to collaborate with the Federal Government in ensuring that trucks plying Apapa-Oshodi Expressway complied with the necessary regulations and laws.

     

     

  • $20b Ogidigben gas park pre-construction data ready

    $20b Ogidigben gas park pre-construction data ready

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has completed the key pre-construction data gathering for the $20 billion Ogidigben gas industrial park being constructed in Delta State.

    With the completion and site clearing, among others, investors who intend to invest in the project, can come in access the data and move to site.

    NNPC’s Group Executive Director, Gas and Power, Dr. David Ige, who made this known, said construction giants, Julius Berger, has moved in and has started work on Phase 1 of the project.

    Ige said: “We have completed key pre-construction data gathering on site. Fugro activities in Ogidigben are ongoing and study reports will be available shortly. NNPC has conducted the following surveys and investigations at site; soil investigation, hydrology study, hydrogeology study, sand search, bathymetry survey and environmental impact assessment (EIA), onshore and offshore.

    “Investors can access at no cost, significant technical data in respect of the site in order to fast track technical evaluation and design of their projects.”

    He said NNPC and its partner, the state government, secured 2800 hectares of land for the park at a desirable location by the ocean and the Escravos River, for inland access adding that the Certificate of Occupancy (CofO) has been issued. The dedicated gas based industrial park, also has free trade zone (FTZ) and port status, he said, adding that the project’s proximity to existing Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) gas infrastructure enables relatively easy gas access with less pipeline infrastructure development cost.

    He said the industrial park has a dedicated power plant of about 350 megawatts capacity, central processing facility, petrochemical, fertiliser and methanol plants, centralised utilities provision, world class integrated fibre optic network (broadband and telecoms)

    The industrial park, he noted, is served by an existing breakwater at Escravos and said the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) may need to upgrade it.

    Ige said the challenge the corporation faces is the swampy terrain of the site, typical of Niger Delta and that implies high initial construction costs, hence the need for Federal Government’s support.

    He described the project as the gas revolution industrial park, which will be the largest gas industrial park in sub-Saharan Africa adding that the industrial park is patterned after the Xenel Petrochemical Plant in Saudi Arabia and the Nagarjuna Fertiliser Plant in India. The project is estimated to cost between $15 billion and $20 billion with additional investments in infrastructure and utilities to be provided by a special purpose vehicle.

    On completion the industrial park will consolidate Nigeria’s position and market share in high value export markets, maintain 10 per cent market share in global LNG trade and dominate regional gas pipelines supplies.